Peace Is A Beautiful Thing

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PERSONAL HISTORY about the author’s mother, Pat Montandon, a San Francisco socialite and divorcee who formed Children as Teachers of Peace and went on to meet various world leaders including Pope John Paul II… Writer tells about growing up wealthy in San Frncisco and learning, when he was nine, that his parents were divorcing. Discusses his mother’s childhood in Texas and Oklahoma. Her parents were evangelical Nazarene ministers. It was not until she was a teenager that she learned that she was beautiful. She moved to Dallas to be a model and married Howard Groves, an Air Force officer, whom she quickly divorced. She then moved to San Francisco where she worked at the I Magnin department store and made it into the society pages by throwing flamboyant parites… She briefly married Melvin Belli, the trial lawyer who defended Jack Ruby… Writer tells about his father who, with his brother, had turned their family dairy business into a multimillion dollar food company before then going into real estate. Briefly discusses their courtship. During the divorce, Dad, viciously businesslike, stripped Mom of any claims to his property. The whole city thrilled to see her losing her mind, her dignity, her husband, and a fortune. They shared custody of their son, who spent successive weeks with each of them. Writer describes talking his mother out of her plan for them to commit suicide together. His mother decided that the true purpose of her beauty was to save children from a nuclear holocaust. She organized peace rallies for children in San Francisco and formed Children as Teachers of Peace. Describes the trip she embarked on with her son and several children to deliver letters to world leaders. Their first stop was the White House where they were not allowed to see President Reagan. They flew to Rome where they were granted an audience with the Pope. Tells about meeting the Pope. Their next stop was Moscow, where they met members of the Soviet Peace Committee and were then allowed into the Kremlin to meet with the chairman of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R., Vitaly Petrovich Ruben. Discusses in detail the meeting with Ruben… In 1986, the writer’s mother was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, which eventually was awarded to Elie Wiesel…

Sean Wilsey is the author of a memoir, “Oh the Glory of It All,” and a collection of essays, “More Curious.“ He’s also the co-editor of two anthologies of original writing, “The Thinking Fan’s Guide to the World Cup,” and “State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America.” He will sometimes post pictures on Twitter: @seanwilsey.